KD Kempamma

KD Kempamma, also known as Cyanide Mallika, is India's first convicted female serial killer. Commencing with her first murder in 1999, Kempamma killed 6 women over the next 8 years, 5 between October and December in 2007. She befriended victims from female temple devotees and portrayed herself as a deeply pious woman. After gaining their confidence she would call them to another temple, ask them to dress in their best clothing and jewellery and give them 'holy water' with cyanide to drink. She was caught by police trying to dispose of the jewellery and confessed under interrogation. She was the first woman to be sentenced to death in Karnataka.

Life Kempamma is from Kaggalipura, Karnataka. She has three children. She then worked odd jobs, including becoming a domestic worker and a goldsmith's assistant. Five cases of missing persons were associated with Kempamma in 2009. Two of these five women's bodies were found and subsequently linked to Kempamma.

Arrest and convictions The first time Kempamma was arrested was in 2001. She was arrested by Bidadi police while trying to rob jewels from a house where she was to perform a ritual. She was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment and was released after completing her time. In 2012, she was given another death sentence for the murder of Nagaveni. She was given the death penalty. While Sasikala was there, Kempamma asked to meet her repeatedly. After this, Kempamma was moved to another jail, reportedly because she posed a threat to Sasikala's life. However, others denied this and said that the two were friendly and that Kempamma would even bring Sasikala's food to her during meal times, as Kempamma did not want her to wait in line for food.

In the media The case was included as one of the cases in the bestselling book The Deadly Dozen: India's Most Notorious Serial Killers by Anirban Bhattacharyya, the creator-producer of the hit TV show Savdhaan India. A Kannada-language film titled Cyanide Mallika was released on 26 February 2021. It has Sanjana Prakash portraying the title role. The case was covered in an episode of the true-crime podcast Khooni: The Crimes of India.